Exploring Reading Comprehension Needs of Yasuj EAP Undergraduate Students of Persian Literature: A Mixed Method Approach

Exploring Reading Comprehension Needs of Yasuj EAP Undergraduate Students of Persian Literature: A Mixed Method Approach

The main objective of this program, the current English for Academic Purpose (EAP) in Iran, is to fill the gap between the students’ general English competence and their ability to read discipline-specific texts. This study aims to achieve the target and present reading comprehension required for EAP undergraduate students of Persian literature in Yasuj state university through a mixed methods approach. A total of 30 undergraduate students who have passed ESP courses and 10 postgraduate students and also two EAP instructors by providing with two contents analyses participated in the study, developing mixed methods research design and using interviews and questionnaires. The results indicate that skimming texts, using bilingual general dictionaries as well as scanning texts, knowledge of literature and specific terminologies, guessing meanings of words using context or prefixes and suffixes and understanding main ideas were regarded as either important or very important for students’ success by all the participants. Moreover, the results suggest that General English Proficiency (GEP) level of the students was generally low. The undergraduates hold that they need more general English than highly specific academic English. Implications of this study can be used for improving EAP reading courses for Persian literature students.

The main objective of this program, the current English for Academic Purpose (EAP) in Iran, is to fill the gap between the students’ general English competence and their ability to read discipline-specific texts. This study aims to achieve the target and present reading comprehension required for EAP undergraduate students of Persian literature in Yasuj state university through a mixed methods approach. A total of 30 undergraduate students who have passed ESP courses and 10 postgraduate students and also two EAP instructors by providing with two contents analyses participated in the study, developing mixed methods research design and using interviews and questionnaires. The results indicate that skimming texts, using bilingual general dictionaries as well as scanning texts, knowledge of literature and specific terminologies, guessing meanings of words using context or prefixes and suffixes and understanding main ideas were regarded as either important or very important for students’ success by all the participants. Moreover, the results suggest that General English Proficiency (GEP) level of the students was generally low. The undergraduates hold that they need more general English than highly specific academic English. Implications of this study can be used for improving EAP reading courses for Persian literature students.